A Soldier's Honor
by Darkpane
Summary: Deep in the Enclave's system Sebastian fights a war not only for the Enclave, but also for himself. Killing raiders and civilians alike without question he has faith in anything the government deems to be right. Look through the eyes of an elite Enclave soldier as he struggles to learn what life is like without the Enclave. Rated M for language and graphic violence and torture.


The sound of vertibird chopper blades filled the air. Sebastian Barnes looked around the troop section of the craft for what he thought would be the last time. The metallic surfaces offered no comfort to him as the helicopter rode not-so-smoothly across the air. There was a single doorway that lead to the cockpit. Sebastian could barely make out the shoulder of the pilot. The man seemed to never move save for the occasional flick of the wrists to adjust a lever or flip a switch. These pilots always seemed to have a cool presence about them.

Sitting inside the back of the vertibird with Sebastian was the rest of his squad. Captain Miller, stone faced as always, sat with his arms crossed clad dressed in Enclave officer's uniform. He pushed a cigarette around his mouth with his tongue while puffing out smoke every few seconds. Miller, or more commonly referred to as 'Cap' was one of the most reliable officers in the Enclave. At least, that's what the rest of the team had been told. Lines were forming at the corners of his features as age and stress began to take their tolls on him. He was only in his thirties, but gave the impression of a grizzled vet.

Sitting by the captain with a seat in-between to hold a crate of bullets sat Anthony. Anthony was a beast of a man. Muscles and adrenaline enough to rival a mighty deathclaw. Because of his large body form, his call sign was 'Mutant'. He sat completely immersed in the minigun he held on his lap. Checking it for rust spots and lubricating it, he seemed to be making the same motions over and over. One adjustment here, rotate the barrels. Another adjustment there, rotate the barrels. Mutant looked up to catch Sebastian staring at him, and gave a large toothy smile that radiated his self confidence. His head was big and shaved, while his teeth were rows of white painted rocks. He was an absolute meathead that loved his country.

Sebastian looked away, slightly embarrassed, to see Richard the newest and youngest member of the squad. He had signed on a little over a month earlier, and looked to be a young American in his prime. The boy had only ever been in two real battles while serving in the Enclave, but his lack of combat experience had nearly gotten himself killed. Richard simply stared off in space, most likely thinking about what would happen in the mission to come. Sebastian watched as he clutched his laser rifle every time the vertibird turned. The only thing keeping him on the team was the medical skills he possessed. While they weren't genius or ground breaking, his lightning fast diagnoses were perfect for the kind of work they did.

Sebastian took a breath and leaned back. He jumped slightly at the sound of his armor hitting the metal wall of the bird. It was standard issue armor with a body glove underneath. Mutant and Pup each had their own sets of power armor on, Mutant's significantly scratched and dented by various weapons and on one occasion, a human head. On all three suits of armor there was the glaring white E surrounded by twelve white stars. This was the emblem of the Enclave and was required to be repainted anytime the color fades.

He stopped for a moment to think about the E. It wasn't just some letter, or even to show who he worked for. It was the soul of America. When humans went underground for protection, there was nobody around to maintain America. It shrank and was lost to the war with the rest of life. When the vaults opened and humans came back, America had faded and it was up to them to repaint it. So long as Sebastian was alive to keep America painted on the world it would never fade. So long as the E on his chest remained fresh, Americans would have hope every time they saw it. So long as his heart beat underneath that one single letter, there would still be an America to turn to and get the hope this wasteland so desperately needed.

When he finally pulled himself out of his thoughts, Sebastian noticed that he was breathing heavier than usual. He had started to get worked up again over the message of the Enclave. It was times like this that he thanked the silent fan in his suit blowing cool air over his body, and helping to center his thoughts once again. His thoughts were interrupted by the gruff voice of the pilot.

"We've got about five more minutes before we reach the bridge!"

Captain Miller stood up with a grunt. Hands locked behind his back, he looked over his three man team. Taking a deep breath, he spoke giving an almost disappointed sigh.

"Alright boys, like fly guy said we are almost there, and getting there is half of the job. I hope you know your places and what to do out there because there are no extra body bags this time. I want to see precision and focus from you boys out there. We want no accidents and if something happens out there, no heroes."

With that he sat back down in his seat and took one last drag from his cigarette before stamping it out on the wall. The speech was fairly short this time, not that Sebastian was listening to it. The captain's speeches were generally solemn if not depressing.

It wasn't too much longer before the vertibird had reached the landing zone. It went down quickly and landed with a heavy bump. The landings were rough in the Enclave, but Sebastian had gotten used to it fairly quickly. Sebastian grabbed his helmet and stared at it a moment. The helmet was a goofy looking one, but it did its job well enough. The amber bug-like eyes would show him his overall health status and armor condition, while the large tubes siphoned clean, radiation-free air for him to breathe. Lifting the powerful helmet over his head, he closed his eyes before sliding it down and resting it on his shoulders. When he opened his eyes, the world had become tinted orange, and cool air rushed over his hot head.


End file.
